Chapter 7
Is Redemption Complete?
All of us will agree that we have been redeemed but is that redemption complete? It would pay every Christian to ask himself the above question and turn to the Scriptures to find the answer. For it seems that very few folks have any conception of how clearly the answer is given. Most of us have the tendency to confound God's method with His object; to mix up His process with His purpose; to confuse His technique with His goal.
There are no less than seventy, (70) clear statements of that goal to
be found in the Bible besides many suggestions and allusions to it. Out of
these many statements, let us look somewhat carefully at only four. In them we
will find the answer to four aspects of the question at the head of this chapter.
That is, we shall find how complete redemption is: (1) in its extent, (2) in
restored fellowship, (3) in loving attitude, (4) in devotion to God.
(1) How complete is redemption in its 'extent'?
Probably no clearer word regarding that question can be found in the entire
Bible than in Ephesians 1:9-11, which reads, "Having made known unto us
the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed
in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things
in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in
Him: in Whom we also have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according
to the purpose of Him Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will."
The purpose or plan of God is one which pleases Him
and the secret of that plan has been revealed to men and that plan is to gather
together, or head up, all things in Christ. Twice in the quotation above that
expression "all things" is used. The Greek words are 'ta panta',
which literally, means "the all." They are the common Greek
expression for "the universe." Paul means that the entire universe is
to be gathered together, or headed up, in Christ. And that agrees with Romans
8:21, "...because the creation itself [not creature] shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of
God." Surely no part or parcel of that universe can permanently remain out
of Christ!
(2) How complete is redemption in restored fellowship?
Let us study Colossians 1:20-21: "And having made peace by the blood of
His cross, by Him to
reconcile all things to Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things
on earth, or things in the heavens...And you, that were sometimes alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled." Here again
is the expression "all things," ta panta, which is used here
universally. God intends to do for the universe exactly what He has already
done for the Colossians, which is to reconcile it. What chance is there for
part of that universe to be held in eternal torment and unending estrangement
if it is all to be reconciled? And how can part of it be exterminated if it is
all to be reconciled?
(3) How complete is redemption in the loving attitude
of the redeemed? Paul said in Philippians 2:9-11, "Wherefore God also
hath highly exalted Him, and given Him the name which is above every name: that
in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
In my early ministry I used to explain this as a sort of compulsory
adoration by beings who couldn't help themselves: a sort of "Heil
Hitler!" from conquered subjects. But how little I knew of what Paul
wrote. The word translated "bow" is 'kampto', found in the Bible only
in Paul's writings, which means to bend and is always used of worship.
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father," wrote Paul in
Ephesians 3:14. No compulsory adulation in that! And the word translated
"confess" is also used to mean "praise" or
"acclaim." The same Greek word is used to express Jesus' gladness as
recorded in Matthew 11:25 and Luke 10:21. He said, "I thank [or "acclaim"]
Thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth." Now according to Paul every being
in heaven and in earth and in the underworld is to bow the knee in the same
worshipful humility that characterized Paul himself and every tongue is to
thank or praise or acclaim Christ as Lord in the glad spirit that characterized
our Lord Himself. The loving attitude of the whole universe is to be complete
and perfect.
(4) How complete is redemption in the matter of 'devotion to God'? Well, let us look at 1
Corinthians 15:22-28. Here is one of the most remarkable statements in the
entire Bible. It tells us how and when all things in the universe are to be
brought into subjection to God.
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are
Christ's at His coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up
the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and
all authority and power. For He must reign till He hath put all enemies under
His feet. The last enemy
that shall be destroyed is death. For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He saith all
things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him. And
when all things
shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things
under Him, that God may be All in all." What shall we say about all this?
First, the time element. This Scripture looks far beyond the time of
anything told us in the book of Revelation. Christ does not reign "for
ever," as the false translation tells us so often, but He reigns
"till"; "till He has put all enemies under His feet"; till
He has put down "all rule and authority and power." Revelation 20:4
says, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them," which is
indicative that rule is still being exercised. Revelation 21 tells us of the
New Jerusalem, and at verse 24 it says, "and the kings of the earth do
bring their glory and honor into it," Here, too, we still see the presence
of the exercise of rule and power. Similarly, Revelation 22:15 lists the wicked
people outside the city, enemies that are not yet under His feet. Hence, it
becomes evident that 1 Corinthians 15:22b, 26, 28, reaches far beyond
Revelation in time.
Second, let us consider the life element. "For as in Adam all die, even so, in
Christ, shall all be made
alive." I used to say that it meant that all would be restored to
life simply to be judged. But that is not what Paul wrote. There are two Greek
words for life, 'bios', which always means physical life or the means to
sustain physical life and 'zoe', which means the principle of life, spiritual
life, or immortal life. Now the verb Paul used here is compound which, I am
sure, means to make alive spiritually or immortally. It cannot mean merely to
make alive physically. The word used suggests that and the illustrations used
sustain the contention.
Christ is "the firstfruits." But He was raised immortal.
"Christ, being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more
dominion over Him" (Rom.6:9). That is, He is immortal. "Afterward
they that are Christ's at His coming." And how are they to be raised? They
are raised immortal, of course. Read the whole of 1 Corinthians 15 in order to
see this.
But Christ and they that are Christ's, however, do not include all who
died in Adam; they are only a handful compared to the remaining ones. When are
the rest to be raised to immortality? Well, in the words, "Then cometh the
end," the word "cometh" is in italics, showing that Paul did not
use that word at all. It was supplied by the translators and, in this case,
completely changes the meaning. Paul is talking about the order in which all
are to be made alive. The word translated "order" means a
"group," or "rank," or "band," like succeeding
groups or bands in a parade. Christ is the first order; they that are Christ's
are the second order; and the rest constitute the third order to be made alive,
"when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power."
These three orders constitute the "all" who are to be made alive spiritually
or immortally. Some will insist that this is a mere assumption in order
to support an opinion. But there are two facts in the Greek of the passage that
prove the statement to be correct. In the first place, the Greek word
'hekastos', translated "every man," or, more accurately,
"each," is regularly used to signify each one of several items. If
there were only two items or individuals, the word meaning "both"
would be used. This same distinction is also regular usage in the English
language, so that there should be no difficulty in understanding it.
In the second place, two other words are used which make the conclusion
inevitable. The adverbs 'epeita' and 'eita' make unquestionable the
significance of three orders. They are words used to mark succession of time or
order, meaning that which precedes the statement which they introduce is
related in time or order to what follows and that what follows is related in
the same way to what precedes. So that the Greek words 'eita to telos' meaning,
"then the end" (or "consummation") simply have to refer to
the "order" or "rank" that is referred to in the preceding
verse.
Paul is writing about three orders or classes of mankind to be made
alive, and these three orders constitute all of mankind. And, "all" are to be
"subject." In verses 27 and 28, one verb, meaning "put in
subjection," is used six times. It is variously translated "put
under," "subdues," and "be subject." But it is the
same word in Paul's own writing. He seems to pile up words to make clear his
meaning that all things in the universe are to be brought into subjection to
God. In 1 Corinthians 15:22-28 he uses the word "all" twelve times
and in just the last two verses he repeats the idea of subjection six times.
One wonders what else he could have written to make men understand his meaning.
He is saying as clearly as words can say that the ultimate goal of God is the bringing into subjection
of all beings in the universe, both in heaven and in earth. If our
theology, or our "orthodoxy," or our church creed will not allow us
to believe the plain statement of Scripture, then we ought to throw away our
theology and our creed. "Let God be true, and every man a liar."
Christ will succeed in bringing the entire universe into subjection to God.
Praise His Name!
"THE LAST ENEMY that shall be destroyed is death" (1 Cor.
15:26). According to the Bible the first death would be all past for the Church
at the time of the second coming of Christ and later it would be all past for
the wicked and lost. The only death left will be the second death. Will the
second death be destroyed also? Or will it be the means through which death
itself will be abolished (Heb.2:14,15)?
Many people do very careless thinking about death and its conquest. I
used to believe, as many folks do, that death would be destroyed as soon as the
act of dying stopped. How partial a viewpoint that is. This entire present
earthly scene is under the condemnation of death. Even our scientific
definition of life confesses it: "Life is the sum total of the forces that
oppose death," it says. And everyone knows that life here and now can
oppose death for only a brief time at best.
In one of his books, Glenn Clark discusses the problem of why a rotten
apple in a barrel of good ones will spoil the whole lot but a good apple in a
barrel of rotten ones is powerless to make the rotten ones sound. He says that
the good apple has the stroke of death in it. When the stem was severed from
the tree its source of life and health and growth was removed. Even a good
apple is a dying thing.
He should have added that death was hovering near
the apple while its stem was still fast to the tree. Just let the wind swing
the apple against a limb near at hand and break the skin, immediately
rot sets in. Let a bird pick a hole in it, or a worm enter its body, at
once the forces of decay and death have gained an entrance, and the end is
putrefaction. "In the midst of life we are in death."
The first warning against disobedience, according to the Bible, is
"In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." The words
"thou shalt surely die," are often translated "dying thou shalt
die," or "thou art dying to die." That is, "dying" is
a process and "to die" is the final act or event in the process. When
Adam sinned it was life and vitality that he lost; it was death and dissolution
that he received. The word "death" means vastly more than the act or
event of dying; it means not only the state into which one passes in the act of
dying but also the condition which makes such an event and such a state
possible.
For death is not only a condition or state which affects the physical
body, it is primarily the state or condition of the spiritual life in which
unregenerate men now live. Until men are made alive in Christ they are
"dead in trespasses and sins," here and now. It will be the condition
or state of the lost "in the ages to come," "having no hope, and
without God in the world." Anyone apart from God in Christ is
"dead," whether in this life, or in any other. "He that hath the
Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John
5:12). Physical (i.e., literal) death is only one of the results of a previous
spiritual "death." When Adam sinned, fellowship was broken between
himself and God, "in Whom we live, and move, and have our being"
(Acts 17:28). It was not merely his physical demise after 930 years that
constituted his death but his separation from God on the very day he sinned was
the inner reality of his death. That separation with its fear, its alienation
from God's love and care and intimate fellowship, is the real death that is to
be destroyed (Luke 15:24,32; Rom.-8:6,7; Eph.2:15; Col.2:13).
In Gen. 2:17 God said, "But of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die." Did Adam die the day that he
ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? The answer is yes! Death
began to operate in his physical life and some 930 years later succeeded in
causing his physical body to die. This happened in one day according to God's
day. Peter said in 2 Pet. 3:8, "... that one day is
with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
At the same time death was immediate. When Adam ate the fruit he died
spiritually in his mind and thinking. He was separated from the intimate
spiritual relation with God and considered himself as something inferior to
God.
How silly it is to teach, then, as I used to do, that when the act of
dying is ended death would be destroyed!
When Adam died physically he was still separated from God which is
spiritual death.
Some have changed their thinking, in order to get rid of such an awful
God as eternal torment pictures, and accepted extermination. But this did no
better, so far as destroying death, or the separation from God, is concerned.
If death is the absence of life, and that must be true of anything that ever
had life and later on lost it, then extermination is only another method of
decreeing eternal death on the vast majority of mankind because they would
still be separation from God. In the case of either "eternal torment"
or "extermination," death would reign forever!
Death will be destroyed by putting life in its place. That nullifies
the objection made by many that the teaching of Reconciliation destroys the
hope of everlasting life. They say that Jesus' words in Matthew 25:46 make
punishment and future life the same length: "And these [the wicked] shall
go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."
If the punishment of the wicked is only age-lasting, not everlasting, then the
reward of the righteous is also age-lasting, and not everlasting. This is their
argument, and so far as the above quotation is concerned they are correct.
Now the promise of "eonian life" is a marvelous provision. It
is the proclamation to all who believe. That is the privilege of living in
Christ in this present life and living with Christ, reigning with Christ, and
being like Christ, "in the ages to come" (Eph.2:7). During those eons
when He is bringing the entire universe into harmony with God, the Church will
share with Christ in all that glorious activity. But the assurance of unending
life is not in this offer, wonderful as it is. For the eons will end! However,
the assurance of unending life lies in the promise that we shall be made
immortal when Christ calls us into that fellowship of service with Himself. Our
alienation and separation from God are already ended in this life, through
Christ. But it is not until His second coming that immortality is conferred
through change for living saints and through resurrection for dead saints.
Immortality is life over which death has no power. So it embodies unlimited
life.
The only way that death will ever be destroyed is to replace it with
life. The only way to get rid of darkness is to obliterate it with light. The
only way to get rid of error is to supplant it with truth. The only way to get
rid of sorrow is to submerge it in joy. So, some glad day, "Death will be
swallowed up in victory!" (1 Cor.15:54) And God will do this by destroying
for every being in the universe, all alienation and separation from God. (Death) But that can take place only when the Lord
of life has proven Himself Lord over death! Not till then will the Son
"deliver up the kingdom to God our Father." When that joyous day
comes men will answer their own questions, "O death, where is thy sting? O
grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor.15:55) by the triumphant shout,
"Thanks be to God Who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ" (1 Cor.15:57). "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ,
shall all be made alive" (1 Cor.15:22).
This is the Gospel, the good news that Jesus gave to Paul to bring to the Gentiles. It wasn't a Gospel just for the Jews and the Ten Tribes of the House of Israel. This Gospel that Paul taught was the Gospel for all of mankind. It is the Good News that God has taken upon Himself our sins and iniquities and has redeemed all of mankind and will destroy death which has been separating us from Him and once more there will be total harmony in all of God's creation and peace and love and harmony will reign through out all eternity. Then will we truly begin to live and express His love for all.